Tag Archives: Chicago car crash

Tesla Vehicles Recalled For Rolling Stop Signs

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Multiple new outlets, including the Associated Press, announced this week that that oveer 54,000 Tesla vehicles are being recalled because their “Full Self-Driving” software lets them roll through stop signs without coming to a complete halt.

The recall shows that Tesla programmed its vehicles to violate the law in most states, where police will ticket drivers for disregarding stop signs. The Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety offices, said it is not aware of any state where a rolling stop is legal.

The recall covers Model S sedans and X SUVs from 2016 through 2022, as well as 2017 to 2022 Model 3 sedans and 2020 through 2022 Model Y SUVs.

Tesla agreed to the recall after receiving feed back from the Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”). The NHTSA says failing to stop for a sign can increase the risk of a crash. “The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with defects posing unreasonable risks to safety, including intentional design choices that are unsafe,” the agency said. “If the information shows that a safety risk may exist, NHTSA will act immediately.”

This seems like a sneaky move by Tesla to include “rolling stop sign” in their software. It is true that a lot of drivers probably roll through a stop sign when it seem safe and no other cars are around. But what if the Tesla was in auto-pilot mode in a four-way intersection and the driver isn’t paying attention? I agree with the NHTSA that this is unsafe. Tesla did release a statement that there were no recorded traffic accidents resulting from the “rolling stop sign” mode.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

The Do’s and Dont’s When When Involved In A Traffic Accident

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It’s wintertime and the roads in Chicago and around the state of Illinois can be treacherous this time of year. A car accident or a truck accident can be a very stressful moment for many people. It’s improtant to keep your cool and think rationally if you have the unfortune of being involved in a car crash. Below is a comprehensive list of things you should and should not do should you be involved in a traffic accident.

• Do get names, addresses, license plate and phone numbers of those drivers involved. This includes any witnesses.
• Do call the police immediately or have someone at the scene call for you;
• Do take photographs of scene and your injuries;
• Do take care of your injuries-concentrate on getting better (i.e. go to the emergency room or set an appointment with your primary care physician);
• Do keep records of your medical treatment and time missed from work;       

• Do make sure to purchase adequate full coverage auto insurance, including uninsured motorist coverage in case you are struck by an uninsured driver or the victim of a hit and run;
• Do not talk or give a statement to the other driver’s insurance company;
• Don’t attempt to negotiate with the other driver’s insurance company before your medical treatment is completed;
• Don’t wait months from the date of injury before hiring an attorney, as your right to file claim or lawsuit may be barred; and
• Don’t wait days or weeks from the time you are injured to seek medical attention. Your health comes first and also insurance companies are wary of paying for medical bills if treatment is postponed.

This is not an exhaustive list, but they are simple steps you can take in order to protect your rights as accident victim. Should you or a loved become seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, at 312-614-1076 for a free legal consultation.

The Best Times To Travel During The Holidays

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Over 100 million people are expected to hit the roads during the the holidays, which will cause traffic congestion all over the United States. According the Inrix, a traffic analytics company, this is a 34% increase over last year, but still not up to 2019 levels.

Inrix’s study stated that travel between Christmas and New Year’s (27th and 28th) are the days to avoid. Also, they suggest leaving early to avoid the midday traffic push.

Below are the days and time to avoid according Inrix:

-Dec 23: Best time is after 7 p.m., worst time is between noon and 6 p.m.

-Dec. 24: Best time is before 1 p.m., worst time is between 2 and 6 p.m.

-Dec 25: Minimal congestion expectedDec. 26: Best time is before noon, worst time is between 1 and 7 p.m.

-Dec. 27: Best time is before 1 p.m., worst time is between 5 and 6 p.m.

-Dec. 28: Best time is before noon, worst time is between 1 and 7 p.m.

-Dec. 29: Best time is before 11 a.m., worst time is between 1 and 7 p.m.

-Dec. 30: Best time is before noon, worst time is between 1 and 7 p.m.

-Dec. 31: Best time is before 1 p.m. or after 5 p.m., worst time is between 2 and 4 p.m.

-Jan. 1: Minimal congestion expected

-Jan. 2: Best time is before 1 p.m., worst time is between 2 and 6 p.m.

It looks like Christmas day and New Year’s day are the best days to travel. If you are going to travel by car this year be sure to buckle up and put your phone down. I hope everyone reaches their destination safely.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

New Study Shows Economic and Traffic Benefits of Chicago’s I-290 Expansion

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I wrote earlier this week about Chicago’s traffic congestion woes. The city is currently the second worst for major U.S. and cities and 6th worst wordwide. Some interesting tidbits came out of that story, including the proposed expansions of I-290 and I-55 discussed by the Illinois Department of Transportation head. According to the site Roads & Bridges, a recent study for the 290 expansion would benefit Chicago drastically both economically and in traffic congestion.

The Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) just released a study stating that the $2.7 billion project, which combines both transit and pedestrian improvements alongside bridge and roadway upgrades, is projected by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to provide amongst the best economic, equity, and traffic impacts of any project in the region by 2050 “The I-290 corridor is vital multi-modal infrastructure that’s needed to connect the western suburbs and southern Cook County with the City of Chicago, but it has far exceeded its design life and become one of the most congested and dangerous thoroughfares in the region,” stated ILEPI Transportation Director and study author Mary Tyler. “That said, its proposed modernization represents one of the region’s greatest opportunities to create jobs, reduce traffic burdens, and alleviate the economic access burdens facing disadvantaged communities.”

The proposed I-290 reconstruction project incorporates not only bridge and highway upgrades—including a new High Occupancy Toll lane (HOT3+) to support Express Bus service and promote carpooling—but also wider sidewalks, pedestrian safety islands, high visibility crosswalks, lighting, and signals to better facilitate pedestrian/bicycle traffic and transit riders.

A concurrent CTA project would upgrade Blue Line facilities, including reconstruction of the entire Forest Park Branch as well as stations from UIC-Halsted to Forest Park and six substations. 

The study examined the potential overall economic impact of the project, concluding that it would create nearly 22,000 new jobs paying an average of almost $80,000 per year, while growing the economy by more than $2.6 billion and boosting local, state, and federal tax revenues by more than $450 million.

What’s not to like about this project? It would hopefully finally start to free up one of the tightest and slowest commutes in and out of the city to the western suburbs (I-290) and create thousands of well paying jobs. The reporting has not said exactly where the funding will come from, but I would make a strong guess that Illinois’ portion from the recent $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill would be earmarked for this project.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then please call the Chicago injury attorneys at The Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Reminder: Chicago’s Overnight Winter Parking Ban Starts This Week

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The City of Chicago’s department of transportation announced that the overnight parking ban on certain busy streets began on December 1 and runs through April 1, 2022. The parking ban is enforced regardless of whether it snows. Cars cannot be parked in these designated areas from 3:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. and covers 107 miles of main streets around the city.

Violators of the parking ban will be towed and face a minimum $150 towing fee, a $60 ticket, and a storage fee of $25 per day. Vehicles in violation of the ban will be towed to Pounds 2 (10301 S. Doty Ave.) or 6 (701 N. Sacramento).

The pupose of this ban is fairly obvious, as it allows snow plows to make their way through and clear all of the main streets around Chicago without obstruction.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

National Safety Council Provides Halloween Safety Tips

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It is Halloween weekend, and cities and towns will be packed with traffic and trick or treaters over the next few days. Chicago is well known to enjoy the Halloween holiday. The Saturday night before halloween is a popular night for the bars and house parties. Sunday is the main trick or treating night but I’m certain there will be kids out and about Saturday as well.

Luckily the National Safety Council (“NSC”) published safety tips for parents and for drivers as we head into the busy weekend. They recommend the following:

  • Use flashlights, glow sticks, and reflective tape on costumes so you are visible in the dark.
  • Stay on sidewalks, cross at designated intersections, and stay in well-lit areas.
  • Alcohol-based hand sanitizer should be carried and used frequently.
  • Candy collected during trick-or-treating should not be consumed until after handwashing. As always, a parent/guardian should check all candy to make sure it is wrapped and discard any unwrapped candy.
  • Wear a cloth mask instead of plastic, latex, or silicone. A costume mask, such as those worn for Halloween, is not a substitute for a face covering.

The one thing that I can add to this list is for people who will be out and about Saturday and night and they know they will be drinking. Please do not drive. Take a rideshare or the CTA to travel to and from your party or the bars. There will be more kids out and about than a normal Saturday. So if you are going out, call that Uber.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Central Illinois Traffic Fatalities Up In 2021

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I wrote about Illinois traffic death rate for 2020 a few weeks back. It surprisingly showed an increase in traffic fatalities despite the pandemic and periodic shutdowns around the state. The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) release numbers for 2021, which shows that traffic deaths are down overall for the state, but certain counties have actually seen an increase so far this year. There were almost 1,195 traffic related fatalities in Illinois in 2020. To date that number sits at 932.

Shelby County is up two deaths, Christian County is up three, Tazewell and Montgomery counties are both up four, and Effingham County has five more deaths than last year. IDOT says this data includes everyone who was killed inside a car itself, and any pedestrians or cyclists that also may have been killed because of an accident.

You can click here to view IDOT’s data in a snapshot.

It’s unclear why the numbers have jumped in that part of the state. Traffic experts are convinced that the 2020 increase in Illinois was due to more risky driving behavior. Some drivers assumed they could drive at dangerous rates of speed because so few vehicles were out on the road. It’s unclear what is going on in these counties. It could be an anomaly. I think we’ll have to take a look at all of the numbers at the end of the year.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or an Illinois truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Chicago Traffic Surges Past Pre-Pandemic Levels

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According to multiple news outlets, including NBC 5, traffic congestion has finally reached and now surpassed pre-pandemic levels in the Chicagoland area. If you live in or around Chicago, I am certain you have noticed the increase of traffic levels that started over the summer. Although, I do not believe that the downtown loop is back to it’s pre-pandemic levels, I do believe that traffic in the surrounding highways are back to “normal” and the data backs this up.

TrafficCarma, a mobile app that analyzes real-time traffic information and commuter data, found that during the late morning hours, 10 a.m. to noon, vehicle volumes rose as much as 31% compared to before the pandemic. Both the 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. hours saw significant increases during the five weeks that began in August, with traffic volumes up by at least 21% each week. Traffic in the 9 a.m. hour also exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with weekly increases ranging between 11% and 19%. During the first week of August, which started on the second of the month, traffic volumes during the 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. hours were down by at least 10% each hour compared to the onset of the pandemic. For the 7 a.m. hour, the volumes had decreased by as much as 23%.

Although the Delta variant has spread rapidly across the country (including Illinois) that has not kept people home. People are out and about and back to commuting to work and elsewhere at record levels. Although, the study does not provide details, I believe that a portion of this traffic is from summer travelers and, of course, schools opening back up in person.

I am going to continue to track these numbers, and will be interested to see if the number of traffic accidents increases along with the amount of traffic.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago accident attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Illinois Governor Signs Prejudgment Interest Act

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Earlier this month, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 72, also known as the “prejudgment interest act.” The new law, which goes into effect on July 1, 2021, adds 6% yearly interest to any verdicts entered on personal injury or wrongful death cases. The Illinois Senate previously passesd a similar bill that awarded 9% interest, but was vetoed by the governor. He asked that the parties compromise, and SB 72 was passed and the governor eventually signed the bill.

There are some important issues and caveats that must be pointed out. First, the prejudgement interest will only be added if there is a verdict is entered on the case. Second, the interest only begins to accrue once the lawsuit has been filed. The new law provides that for claims that occurred before the effective date, prejudgment interest shall begin on the date the action is filed or the effective date of the bill (July 1, 2021), whichever is later. So if my firm filed a new personal injury lawsuit on June 10 of this year (coincidentally we did), then the prejudgment interest clock does not start until July 1. If we file a different lawsuit after July 1, the interest clock begins accruing on the date of filing as it is the later date.

Also, it’s important to point out that the Act allows defendants the opportunity to reduce prejudgment interest through early settlement offers. The value of settlement offers made within the first 12 months of the filing of a lawsuit are to be credited against the judgment amount rendered at trial before calculating prejudgment interest, and if that settlement offer meets or exceeds the judgment, no prejudgment interest will apply. Finally, the proposed law will not apply to lawsuits filed against the state, a local unit of government, a school district, community college district or any other governmental entity.

Obviously as a personal injury lawyer, I am very happy with this bill and proud of the Plaintiff’s bar that worked so hard to get this bill passed and signed into law. I also believe the law has teeth for larger cases where there are little or no offers on the table during the first year of litigation. I think we could see this bill push insurance companies and defendants into making better settlement offers on cases. It will take a year or two before we see how this bill starts affecting Illinois injury cases.

If you or a loved one were seriously injured in Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyers at The Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

April Is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

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The Illinois State Police are are partnering with over 200 law enforcement agencies around the state this month to promote traffic safety and bring awareness to distracted driving. April is distracted driving awareness month around the country, and the Illinois State Police’s initiative this year is called “drop it and drive.” That is, put down your phone and focus on the road.

he 200 law enforcement agencies will be doing nothing but focusing on distracted driving. These special officer details that will on a grant through the Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”).

26,000 people died in U.S. crashes involving a distracted driver between 2012 and 2019. That is an incredible number, which has continued to rise since the advent of the smart phone. I will be interested to see what the number of tickets issued are during the month of April and whether this special initiative will actually decrease the number of distracted driving traffic accidents.

Everyone who has a smart phone knows how tempting it is to pick up your phone while in traffic to check an email or a text. Even a few seconds of looking into your phone can be incredibly dangerous. Along with the Illinois State Police, we encourage you to avoid that temptation and put your phone away while driving.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.